Professional Development
On January 3rd, the nation’s 119th Congress gavels into session with new promises and challenges for the field of civic learning. For this quarterly TACL session, join a seasoned expert, Former Congressman Dennis Ross, as he shares insights, tips, and tricks on how you can center civic learning and its importance with your new or returning member of Congress.
Past Event Materials:
Wesley Hedgepeth and Jen Patja, of NCSS and Virginia Civics respectively, hosted a dialogue on creative strategies for engaging decision-makers to advance civic learning: inviting them into a teachable moment for your students. Whether it’s a state legislator who comes to your English class to discuss elements of a strong letter to an elected official or a county official who comes and discusses what they do and how students can engage, bringing decisionmakers to your classroom can provide your students first-hand experience with decision makers and help strengthen your relationship and their understanding of your work. This year, we’re encouraging you all to leverage this possibility, the group learned the how-tos of this strategy from those implementing it, and got the skills and tools to implement this strategy during national Civic Learning Week.
Jessica Ellison, the Executive Director of the National Council for History Education (NCHE) presented to TACL educators during August’s quarterly training. Our expert presenter shared how to emphasize your work within your local school boards. She discussed the dos and don’ts in making your best case in ways that make a difference for yourself, your peers, your student, community, and democracy.
Beyond Jessica and NCHE’s leadership in the field, she is an experienced school board member. Jessica was first elected to her local school board in 2017. She served during the Covid-19 pandemic and won re-election in 2021. She is currently in her third year as Board Chair. Jessica’s district is in the northeast suburbs of the Twin Cities and has a current enrollment of about 8,700 students.
Lindsay Sobel, Chief of Policy, Planning, and External Affairs at one of the nation’s leading organizations emphasizing teacher leadership, Teach Plus, joins CivxNow partners collaborating in the Teachers Advancing Civic Learning (TACL) project. Together, we’ll provide you with tools and strategies to make the case for stronger civic learning policies within your school and district, among parents, and with decision-makers at the local, state, and national levels.